Fallen Angel
by Tempest E. Dashon
Summary: The war is coming like a speeding train but as hidden information comes to light, new ties are created, new friendships born, and Harry gets a chance to see the world around him without the blinders. How will he react to what he discovers and what changes will he make to ensure the salvation of those who need it most?
1. Chapter 1-Discovered

**Greetings and Salutations!**

**Another year has begun and I thought it would be fun to start the new year off with a ship I have not yet written about. Hopefully you that read it will enjoy. This one drove me batty all vacation as I had no way to really write any of it down for two weeks!**

**I have several chapters written so I will be able to keep ahead of myself as I post and not keep you waiting week to week for an update. I had planned for about five chapters but as usual my muse is doing what she wants so who knows where this may end.**

**Warnings: This fic will be mature and contain sexual aspects if not full on lemony smutness. There may be elements of abuse, dub-con, dom/sub, as well as possible mentions of torture and rape. It was meant to be a darker fic and though what I have so far has not dropped into that too much, I have a feeling my muse will follow her abyss when she is ready...so if this is not for you please do turn away and know there are no hard feelings from me.**

**May your 2020 be a critical hit and may it bring your blessings in your home and defeat to your enemies.**

**Always**

**~Tempest**

* * *

Draco looked at himself in the mirror and sneered. What was the point of all of this anymore? He was tired and hungry and completely overwhelmed and in the end what did any of his pain accomplish. He was going to fail…he was going to utterly fail and his mother was going to be tortured and raped and killed because he didn't actually have the black heart everyone thought he had. He may dislike the favoritism that the old man showed to the lions and he may have found some of his eccentric ways to be quite nutty. Didn't mean he wanted to see him dead!

Hanging his head he huffed as the fringes of his untrimmed hair fell into his eyes. His mother had wanted to take him to the stylist so he would come back this year looking well-groomed as a Malfoy should…but he couldn't have cared less what his hair or nails or clothes looked like. What did good breeding or good manners, clothing, or etiquette have to do with trying to save her from a fate worse than death? This was his father's fault entirely!

If that idiot had not fallen into the honeyed trap that was the Dark Lord and let that monster into their lives and their home, he would not be leaning against this sink in the bathroom contemplating taking his own life to save himself from watching his mother suffer. He would not be marked like some pet, scraping and prostrating for a psychopath who could care less about the feelings or sanity of his followers. He wanted slaves, attack dogs…Draco was neither.

He was the heir to the Malfoy name and fortune! His family helped build the English magical community and their magic and their blood was part of the boundary that held their sacred secrets safe from muggle eyes. He knew over time his bloodline had taken the purity thing to an extreme that made little sense. Nana Malfoy had always reminded him as a young boy that his Grandfather and Father had been taken in and swindled by the charming lies of that 'silver tongued snake' and he was not to allow them to poison him as well.

He had not understood fully before she died and had started to imitate his father in all things including his hatred for 'mudbloods'. All the way up until he had met one Hermione Granger, know-it-all swotty Gryffindor mudblood. He had hated her from day one for her parentage. It had taken the punch in third year for him to shut up long enough to really observe and listen. His nana's words coming back to him by fourth year and by fifth he realized what an idiot his father and grandfather had been…along with all of the other sacred twenty-eight that were enthralled and owned by the noseless wonder.

If anything, the magical community needed new witches and wizards like Granger and Thomas to renew the bloodlines and keep the 'pureblood' families from dying off because all magic was bred out of them. He may not understand the genetics that Granger spouted off about to her friends but he did know that more and more squibs were being born every year into the sacred twenty-eight. Between the lack of magical children and the loss of pregnancies in the first trimester, the purebloods were slowly going extinct.

After breaking that bit of brainwashing Draco had gone looking and realized that the Malfoy line had married a muggleborn witch or wizard every few hundred years to renew their magical potential and purity. That was how you kept the bloodline pure…don't marry your cousins! Somewhere along the way his family had forgotten that and started to follow the idea that muggleborns would bring about the end of their magical lines and then it had turned to killing them all for stealing magic…

No one could steal your magic! Even he knew that was absurd early on but he never bothered to argue with his father or his crazy Aunt Bella. That was a one way ticket to a round or two of the crucio spell and he was not one to stupidly walk to his own torture…he couldn't say the same for his cousin Tristan who was now in the Janus Thickey ward for spell damage alongside the Longbottoms. It was perfectly fine to not support the cause…you just had to rebel against it silently and with a lot more stealth and cunning…idiot Gryffindor!

Shaking his head with a growl, Draco lifted his face to look into the mirror again only to freeze. He took in the other figure in the mirror with a very slow perusal. His uniform was wrinkled, the shirt untucked and the tie pulled loose. His hair looked like he had just rolled out of bed and ran a hand through it once before deciding it was groomed and moving along. His glasses were slightly crooked on his nose and the frown he wore made his brow wrinkle and the tip of the lightning bolt scar peek out from below his wild fringe.

Could he never get one day off from having to look at the boy hero? He knew that he played his part as the teenage villain so well that Potter thought he had to stalk him but he really could use one day where he didn't have to be reminded that he had no hope of salvation at all but thanks to some really bad luck Potter had already lost everything he was about to lose and still somehow managed to be the 'good guy' in it all. Just once he would like the chance to be the hero and not the one everyone looked to when something went wrong.

Knowing the wand held slightly in his direction was a very dangerous thing at the moment and not really wanting to have to go to the hospital wing to be patched up after being hexed, Draco slowly uncurled his hands from the sink and turned to face his arch nemesis.

"What do you want Potter?"

Draco tried to put as much venom and disgust in his tone but he worried that he only sounded tired and defeated as the words echoed off the stone walls.

"I know it was you ferret! I am going to find out what you are doing and how you managed to get Katie to do your bidding when you were in detention. You are not going to get away with this!"

Sinking back against the marble basin and folding his arms across his chest, Draco took a moment to really take in the boy-who-lived-to-make-his-life-annoying. The hair was a normal occurrence and he had been told multiple times by Pansy and Daphne that Potter just had unruly hair. What was not normal were the black circles under his eyes or the almost defeated exhaustion that seemed to cling to his aura and magic. Not really understanding it, Draco had a moment of pity well up for his rival.

"Not to change the subject Potter but you look exhausted. Ever consider taking a day to sleep in between stalking us junior death eaters and trying to be the savior of all things?"

The wand came up to point at his face as Potter snarled at him.

"So you admit to being a death eater?"

Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes and scoff at the other wizard. He really was obsessed to an unhealthy level with his suspicions and his need to stop the evil forces of the world. Realizing the numbness had spread to his entire body and no longer caring what happened to him, Draco opened his mouth and did the one thing he was told not to do…he was honest.

"And what if I am Potter? What if thanks to my idiot father, I am now marked to serve that psychopath or watch my mother be tortured and raped before she is killed? What if my arm bears that tainted fucking stain on it because it was the only choice I had besides throwing my own mother to the wolves and watching death come for me after?"

Pushing up from his leaning position, Draco took predatory steps towards his rival, his anger finally surfacing to burn away the numb and empty blackness that had been slowly overtaking every part of him.

"Tell me Potter…if your mother were still alive…what would you do to keep her that way? Can you stand there with your self-righteous tone and your indignant eyes and honesty tell me that you would rebel against your fate and watch her die slowly and painfully just so you could say your soul was clean? If so…you're are a sick and twisted individual and no better than those who follow the madman willingly!"

As he growled the last words into Potter's face, he realized that somehow he had managed to get nose to nose with the wizard. Maybe it was the honest words or the broken rage but the savior of the wizarding world had let his enemy within arm's reach without even trying to defend himself. Looking into those widened eyes, Draco realized that they were not just a beautiful shade of green but that he had flecks of yellow and brown that gave them a sort of mystery and intrigue. They were eyes that one could get lost in for hours and that thought brought back the numbness so fast it made his breath still in his lungs.

He was not going to make it to a place or time that he would be able to get lost in anyone's eyes…let alone Potter's. They were on opposite sides of the war, forced to be enemies in a fight neither of them asked for or really wanted, and as the silence stretched through his head and into his limbs he realized just how much he really did not want to fight this wizard. Closing his eyes to block out the confusion that was bleeding into the emerald green, Draco took a slow breath in before he spoke, his voice a low and soothing cadence he had never before used with Potter.

"Look Potter…maybe I am a death eater now and maybe I'm not. Maybe I took the mark over the summer because it was either that or lose the only person in my life that actually gives a flying hippogriff about me. I know it never even occurred to any of you that I'm just as trapped in my role in this war as you all are. The difference…"

Opening his eyes he let his pain and anguish over it all shine through so that for once someone other than his mother could see the real Draco Malfoy.

"I don't support my cause willingly. I don't agree with or believe a single word of their rhetoric. I don't gleefully skip around hoping to catch one of you alone so I can make my master proud by torturing you or killing you. I was young and impressionable and stupid at eleven and twelve and even thirteen. I thought my father hung the moon and I wanted his light to shine down on me."

Bowing his head as the tragedy of his life washed over him again, Draco couldn't help the shutter to his breathing or the shiver of his body as he thought about all he would go back home to over the holidays.

"It's amazing what one starts to see as we grow into our own minds and start to want to branch out as an individual from our family unit."

Looking back up to meet the now pity filled eyes, Draco slide his hands into the pockets of his trousers as he laid his truth out for the boy hero to accept or deny.

"Contrary to the persona I throw around to save my own ass Potter…I am well aware of what is true and false. Muggleborns did not steal their magic. They are not only needed but required for the magical world to survive and thrive. Granger is in fact not a worthless waste of space but the brightest and most precious being we have in our world right now. Her brilliance and compassion will be what leads us into a better future as long as snake face doesn't destroy us all."

"Not all purebloods want them eradicated or the muggles enslaved. Some of us really are smart enough to know picking a fight with muggles when they out number us a thousand or more to one is suicidal and downright contradictory for our own survival! I may dislike that muggleborns are not taught the traditions and older ways of the wizarding world and that is not because I think they should be enslaved."

"Our world is rich in history and in that history is why we do things the way we do and how it protects us all. I don't hate that they want to modernize the magical world some…hell it needs it. I do hate that they are as unwilling to listen to our reasoning and ideas as we are to listen to theirs. It is a cycle that either must break or it will destroy us over and over again."

Taking a deep breath and a step back from the overwhelming and comforting smell of ocean water and sky that seemed to radiate off the Gryffindor, Draco kept his eyes on Potter's as he delivered the last truth he could.

"In the end none of that matters to me…not this war or the future and how we get from the broken point A to the fixed point B. I am not going to survive to see the end of this war and I know it. I will be lucky if I survive to the end of this year at the rate my life is going. The only thing I care about is doing whatever I have to do to protect the only person in my life who has ever shielded me and protected me and loved me without any restrictions or restraints."

"If that means I make enemies out of people I would prefer to have as friends…so be it. If that means I have to follow orders and perform tasks that I don't believe in or want to do…so be it."

Unbuttoning his cuff and slowly rolling up his sleeve as he talked, Draco let his eyes drop at the same time Potter's did…the writhing black mass of tainted magic causing his stomach to roll and churn in horror and disgust.

"If that means I drop to my knees in front of a megalomaniac and pledge my life to his service and let him mark me as some pet when every single piece of me screams against it to keep my mother alive and safe…so be it."

Looking back up and into the horrified eyes of the boy-who-lived, Draco felt the tear fall from his eyes as he jerked the sleeve back down to cover his greatest shame.

"You are not the only one without a real choice in this war Harry Potter. If it was just my life I would have told that soulless bastard to go fuck his pet snake. But it's not just my life and the other life on the line is more precious to me than my own soul. So tell me Potter…where do we go from here?"


	2. Chapter 2-Surprised

**Greetings!**

**I meant to post this Friday and forgot. So here it is. For those that are bored and leaving troll-reviews all over FF today...thank you for the counter point and review count. You should all learn by now...my coven does not write for you and we care not what you write.**

**So onward with my cloying and unoriginal idea lmfao!**

**Always**

**~Tempest**

* * *

Struck with a moment of confused speechlessness, Harry took another step back as he let what he had just learned sink in. If what he had just witnessed was correct, all he had known or thought about Malfoy was a lie. He didn't know how to deal with that let alone come up with an answer to his question. Where did they go from here?

Letting his eyes drift down to stare at the tile as his wand hand dropped completely, Harry tried to think past his confusion and typical haste but knew he was going to fail in that task. Huffing out a breath of annoyance at himself, he looked back up as he crossed his arms.

"What is your task? I know from listening to Dumbledore and members of the Order talk that each new inner circle member marked is given a task to prove their worthiness one last time."

He didn't expect an answer so when Malfoy's hollow voice fell like broken shards of glass into his ears, he blinked in surprise and was once again momentarily stunned.

"I have two...fix a magic cabinet that will allow the Death Eaters past the wards and into the castle and kill Dumbledore."

As the words sank in Harry's wand snapped up before his brain caught up to his body. Malfoy to his credit did not even flinch but stood as stoic as ever...like he did not just drop that piece of darkness between them in a his broken tone. His blood rushing in fear and anger, Harry had to take another deep breath to steady his arm and his resolve.

"And how are those tasks coming along exactly?"

The scoff that passed the blonde's lips made him want to punch his pointy face but he waited to see what his answer would be.

"So far Potter...I'm failing at both spectacularly. The cabinet seems resistant to all spells meant to fix broken magical items and Dumbledore seems to be one lucky old goat. Every attempt at his life seems to go awry. First Bell and that damned cursed necklace. She wasn't supposed to touch it!"

The panic laced anger in his tone as he turned with his hands thrown into the air caused Harry to startle. Only his reflexes from all the D.A. meetings kept him from throwing a hex at Malfoy for the quick movements.

"The poison...well you were there for that one. Damn Slughorn for being a closet alcoholic. He always seems so simpering; I thought he would rush to give Dumbledore such a prestigious gift. But no...he had to place it with his own stores for later. I guess I'm just lucky it was Weasley who drank it so he could be saved by the potions teacher in time..."

Again Harry looked at Malfoy as if he had grown three heads. Raising an eyebrow at him, he dropped his arms to his side as he let his disbelief show.

"Don't act like you wouldn't have been glad to have Ron gone Malfoy! Even I won't believe that bit of bullshite."

The blonde had the audacity to chuckle as he turned, running his hands through his already tussled hair as he faced him.

"No...you have that right. I personally hate that overgrown troll with every current of my magic. However, he is your best mate and you need him to complete what you are going to have to do. Granger may be the brains of you three dimwits but Ron is your heart...your hope. He reminds you there are things to fight for when you start to lose faith...like family."

Feeling a stinging in his eyes and not wanting to show that much of a weakness in front of his enemy, Harry swallowed back his emotions and crossed until he was almost nose to nose with the other wizard. Those stormy gray eyes starred into his and for a moment he was struck by how desolate they were and that he and Malfoy stood at the same height now. When had the prat grown up?

"You know I'm going to tell Dumbledore everything you just told me right?"

The smile was lifeless and cold as Draco looked down his nose, a strip of hair falling into his face as he met his eyes.

"I expected nothing less Potter."

Something odd shifted through those grey clouds and Harry felt a warm tingle run down his spine.

"Before you do...can I have one thing from you...you know before you sentence me to my expulsion and my death?"

The guilt hit with a sharp edge and made him wince and almost double over in pain. His voice came out cracked and hoarse as he responded.

"What...what do you want?"

Moments past in slow motion as the determination built in Malfoy's eyes before he moved with a dizzying speed. What he expected to be an attack ended up being something entirely different.

As soft lips touched his, Harry gasped in surprise, opening himself to the onslaught of need and desperation he had no defense against. Malfoy's tongue swept in and drifted with his in a duel of anguish and regret and as the taste of him, spearmint and apples, took hold of his senses Harry forgot why he was supposed to jerk away and instead melted against the other boy.

Wrapping his hands in Draco's hair, soft spun silk that glided like water between his fingers, he moaned a sound he didn't even know he could make and let the older wizard drag him into a maelstrom of heat and sensation. All the angst and anger the two held over the past six years transmuted into an inferno of need and lust and desire that neither could have anticipated.

With a tilt of his head, Malfoy deepened the kiss and the sweep of his tongue against the roof of his mouth before he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth to nip at had Harry mewling for something he didn't understand but desperately needed.

Just as quickly as it started, it ended, Malfoy pulling back with several steps, his breaths panting out in sharp rasps of sound, his hair sticking in a messy disarray from his hands. Harry did his best to gain his wits but knew for just a moment he let the desire ruin his composure as he whined at the loss. Closing his eyes, he tried to get his brain to take the wheel again and stop his body from flinging itself against the blonde unrepentantly.

Gaining a semblance of control, he opened his eyes only to find the bathroom in front of him empty. It seemed while he was gathering any part of his usual strength, the other boy had fled the scene, taking all the warmth with him. The sudden chill in the air made Harry shiver and with confusion and despair seeping into his chest, Harry bent to pick up the wand he had dropped in his surprise and turned to leave as well. He knew he would never pass this bathroom again without the memories surfacing to create this odd mixture of desire and despair with it.

* * *

Harry stared in angry betrayal at the wizard in front of him. He thought he had understood the rules of this war from their side. He thought he had found a mentor who understood his views and his thoughts and his needs...one who would not use him completely as well for his own gain. He had been so very wrong.

The fact that Dumbledore was not surprised that Malfoy was the one behind the attempts on his life would have been enough of a shock to his already fracturing mind. But to know that he had set a plan in motion to save the boys soul in the end but let him suffer the whole year through to see this plan to fruition made him want to hurl.

Hearing that not only was he going to allow it all to play out but that he was dying as well, and had Professor Snape locked down with a vow to kill him in Draco's place when the time came caused him to lose his dinner all over the gaudy rug in front of the headmaster's desk. Seeing the scene in his mind's eye now, he could see the surprise on Snape's face for a split second. The unguarded look Snape had given him as he had lost the hold on his infamous temper.

He had raged and railed at Dumbledore for his lack of care for not only Malfoy's mental and emotional wellbeing but for his blasé attitude when condemning an innocent man to the darkness that killing him would cause. All this time Dumbledore had pushed and pushed for al of them to trust his opinion on Snape, only to find out he planned to sacrifice that trust to have the man save him from a painful death he himself had caused.

It was more than Harry could take and he lost control of his magic, the burst breaking the glass of some of the unprotected objects about the room as it slammed the Headmaster and his chair into the wall behind his desk. Surprisingly...or maybe not so much...Snape had been completely unharmed by the magical outburst and had stood with the same dead expression as Harry had looked at him with tears in his eyes before apologizing to him for all the childish shit he had said over the years.

The surprise had come again when Harry had vowed to save Snape's life when it was all over and to make sure he was allowed to try to live some semblance of life once the war was won. He had given Snape a bow of respect before slamming the door open and fleeing the stifling air of the Headmaster's office. His panic had taken hold not far down the corridor and as he bent over at the waist to try to get in a full breath, the darkness crawled across his eyes and down his spine.

The sound of boots on the stone floor caused the panic to recede just a little and as he glanced up from his bent position, Harry took in the greasy raven hair and blank eyes of what he thought was his most hated professor. Forcing his body to stand up, Harry tried to take deep, even breaths and failed miserably. He could feel his palms grow clammy as he started to shiver from the numb coldness that was seeping into his limbs.

A warm hand, palm calloused from years of potions making, touched his face gently. He found his head tilted up until he was staring into the black pools of Snape's eyes, the feeling of falling taking him away from the hallway and into a meadow of green grass and wild flowers. A young red haired girl ran past him laughing, her voice a high pitched squeal of delight as a young raven haired boy caught her around the waist and lifted her to twirl her in circles.

As he set the girl on his feet, Harry stood still in shock as the familiar face of his professor stared at what he suddenly realized was his mother as a young girl. The two shared a smile before the younger Snape handed his mom a wilting daisy with a shrug and a grin. Lily let out another giggle before holding the flower in her hand and closing her eyes. Harry watched as the petals grew strong again and the flower sat like new in her grasp.

The memory faded as he became aware of his surroundings again. The hallway was silent and cold and as he blinked those black pools back into focus, he could see for the first time the pain that lurked behind the blankness that Professor Snape used a his shield.

"You will not let this break you Potter. You may look like your _father_ but you have your mother's heart and her sense of justice. Everyone including me is counting on you to win this war and free us all from the tyranny. I will do all I can to help when and where I can but in the end it falls to you. Come to my office after dinner tomorrow night…we begin our lessons again. You must be prepared and shielding your mind is paramount now."

With those last few parting words, Snape turned with his typical flourish and stalked off towards the dungeons. Harry stared after him for another moment before turning in the opposite direction and heading up to the tower and his waiting friends.

* * *

As he entered the tower he was relieved to see the only one still awake was Hermione. If either of his two friends could help with what was rolling around in his head…it was her.

"Hey Moine?"

Her warm honey eyes looked up from the book she was devouring and with a soft smile, she let her eyes ask what he needed.

"If I asked you to find something for me but couldn't tell you why I needed it...would you do it?"

Worry bled into her eyes and she placed her finger in the pages before closing her book. Turning to face him entirely, she chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before answering.

"This thing wouldn't be dangerous to you right?"

He shook his head no, holding his breath.

"I trust you Harry and you know I am here for you. Anything you need...I would do my very best to provide...you know that."

His relief was a palpable thing on his tongue as he leaned forward and wrapped his hands around her. Pulling her tightly into his chest he whispered his gratitude as he held her.

"You are the sister I should have had Hermione. I can never tell you how much you mean to me."

Her chuckle warmed his heart as she squeezed him back.

"I love you too Harry. Now what is this thing you need?"

Taking a fortifying breath as he sat back, he thought about how to word his request.

"I need you to find a spell that will fix a magic resistant magical object that has been broken. The object is meant to transport items from one place to another...from the object to its twin."

Her brows drew down and he could tell her gears were already moving at a speed none of them would ever be able to match or understand. She opened her mouth only to close it again with a more determined look.

"Okay Harry, I will get what you need. If I find more than one solution, I will write them all down in detail for you."

She matched his smile with one of her own before nodding her head at his thanks and grabbing her book.

"If I am going to spend my free time researching then I am going to go get some sleep now. See you tomorrow Harry."

"See you Mione."

Leaning back and laying his head on the couch cushions, Harry waited until her door closed before he let the tears fall from all of the anger and rage boiling inside his head and the pain that was persistently tearing a hole in his chest now. He had been too trusting and entirely wrong in his assumptions of who someone was. He would not make that mistake again. Secrets hidden behind twinkling eyes and a jovial disposition were still lies. He was done being lied to!


	3. Chapter 3-Assisted

**Greetings and Salutations!**

**As promised to my certain Coven members who refuse to wait for one chapter a week (*cough* Vine and Claw *cough*) here is the next update. Of course for all the trolls who seem to love this one, I give you more unoriginal ideas and cloying sentimentality. (I don't know why it amuses me so to repeat what they put but it does!)**

**Anywho...hope you enjoy and if you do, please leave me a little post-it. If you did not enjoy, feel free to leave that post-it too. All constructive comments are taken into account and if I agree its valid then I do what I can to fix things. For example, I was told chapter 1 was more like a monologue of Draco talking at Harry and it could have been summed up in 2 paragraphs. Had I been going for a summary, tis truth in this statement. However, the whole point to that chapter was for Draco to 'talk at' Harry in anger and frustration. So by getting that review I can say, I achieved my goal and I thank the reader for her honest opinion.**

**Enough of my blah, blah brain talking. Onward!**

**Always**

**~Tempest**

* * *

Once his resolve was set, time seemed to speed up for Harry. He moved through his classes as if he had been taken over by Hermione. He took notes and listened and did his best to learn every single little nuisance that might help them in the coming days. Every couple of nights found him in the dungeons again, locked behind Snape's wards, truly trying to protect and close off his mind to all who might want to read his thoughts and desires. Unlike the first time though, with his hatred of the man gone, he was actually managing to progress in the art of Occlumency.

He and Snape never talked about what happened or what he had learned both in Dumbledore's office and outside of it. Just knowing that there was another person alive who knew and cared for his mother was enough to keep Harry's spirits high. He would not let his Professor down…never again. In class he knew the barbs were all part of his act and so Harry responded as he always had, only confiding in Hermione what he had learned and how he truly felt. She helped make sure to keep the charade going perfectly and he could not have been happier that he had been able to bond so closely with her.

It was exactly two weeks from the day he asked for her help that Hermione came through. He knew she was brilliant and that she had a way to find things no one else seemed to be able to find but he had not expected such a quick response. Of course, this only made him roll his eyes at himself internally. He rarely asked her for something specific…he should have known she would put her all into finding him an answer.

He had thanked her with several bone crushing hugs and with parchment in tow, Harry had gone to breakfast with a little extra bounce in his step. Entering the Great Hall, Harry had caught Malfoy's eyes as he stopped by the doors. Casting a spell Hermione had invented that allowed your words to travel to a specific person's ears he stopped his best friend and told her he needed to hit the loo real fast and turned to leave. He knew Malfoy would hear his words softly in his ear and so he headed to that same abandoned restroom and waited.

Though he knew only a few minutes had passed once he arrived, time seemed to drag on and feel endless as he waited to see if the Slytherin would show. Pacing back and forth he chewed on his lower lip in anticipation and was so lost in his own musings that he did not hear the door open and close. The scuff of Malfoy's polished dress shoes caused his head to snap up. His eyes met those same grey storm clouds and his intentions, his plan, went out the window as his other thoughts, thoughts he only allowed to surface at night, came flooding back into the front of his brain.

Without conscious thought, Harry found himself directly in front of the other wizard in two strides and as the blonde opened his mouth to speak, his eyes flooding with confusion, Harry let his own mouth do the talking…just not with words.

Taking the blonde's impossibly silky hair into his hands, letting the strands tangle around his fingers as he gripped down, Harry turned his head to the side slightly before settling his lips firmly on Malfoy's. The surprised gasp pulled the air from his mouth as he licked along the blonde's bottom lip before pulling it into his mouth to suck and nibble on. Moving slowly and with little care for time, Harry licked and sucked and nibbled from one side of the other wizard's mouth to the other until a quiet whimper fell from said wizard's lips.

Sweeping his tongue into the warm cavern of Malfoy's mouth, Harry tasted the sweet honey from the sticky bun he must have been eating at breakfast and couldn't help but groan. The sound echoed along his chest as he drew Malfoy flush against him. Though he was enjoying the feel and taste of the blonde on his tongue, he was even more captivated when Malfoy stopped being passive about it and took control of the kiss.

Hands threading through his unruly hair, Harry moaned in burning need as the pleasured pain of Malfoy's grip on his hair sent tingles of awareness and desire down his spine. The kiss turned from leisurely and languid to bruising passion in just a few swipes with his tongue and Harry all but melted against his rival. He still didn't understand how the other wizard could turn his insides to liquid so easily but he stopped trying to figure it out as the feeling of completion washed over him.

The kiss continued on, hands buried in each other's hair, hands gripping in various stages of hard and soft as they tried to crawl into the other's space. Harry was unaware that his feet had moved at all until his back met the wall and Malfoy's firm body pressed more solidly into his. His body felt like it was on fire and no matter how many breaths he took as their lips parted and came back together, he couldn't seem to truly breathe. The first roll of the blonde's hips sent their lengths rubbing sensually along each other and the sensation shot through him with such force that he threw his head back with a cry of agonizing need.

Both of them froze as the situation became clearer and as he let his head slowly dropped back down, some of his hair falling into his eyes, Harry met the stormy grey of Malfoy's eyes and waited. He didn't have to wait long and when Malfoy finally spoke it was with a raspy voice, deepened in desire.

"I can't decide what I want to ask first…why did you want me to meet you here or why do you always seem to melt and submit in my arms?"

The hands still holding his head gentled as the blonde ran his fingers through his dark locks to smooth them back down before dropping his hands and with an obvious reluctance, stepped back a few steps. Licking his suddenly dry lips, Harry kept eye contact as he answered.

"I wanted to meet you because I have something I think may help you."

Not able to meet the penetrating stare as he confessed his next answer…Harry let his eyes travel down the other wizard's body, his appreciation evident in the husky tone his voice took on.

"And I melt in your arms and…submit…because you let me and you seem to enjoy it. I am always the one everyone I know looks to for strength and leadership and guidance. I have to hold my head up and be their pillar, their rock…even when it's feigned because I don't feel it or want it. Maybe it's your natural state of being or your situation now but you seem to enjoy taking control and I admit I like letting you."

The growl that emanated from the other wizard had Harry jerking his head back up just in time to grunt as warm lips crashed back into his and he was dragged willingly down another slide of molten heat and sparking desire. By the time they broke apart the second time, the bell for class was ringing and they were both drawing in ragged gulps of air. He had never been so hard in his life and he wanted with a yearning he didn't understand.

Malfoy….no…Draco ran his hands through his hair a few times until it lay in his usual unkempt look that he had going this year, smoothed his uniform shirt and trousers of wrinkles, reaching over and doing the same for Harry as his magic trickled warmly along his limbs. Reaching around him, Draco took the scroll Harry had in his back pocket out and raised an eyebrow in question. Harry nodded at him in assent and then watched as the blonde gave him a considering look before turning and without a word left the way they had come.

He knew he really should try to get to class but with the way he was feeling, Harry knew he would not be able to concentrate at all. Going into one of the stalls, he unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers, letting them fall to his ankles as he shoved his pants to his knees. Taking himself in hand, he set a punishing pace, stroking along his length with fevered abandon as he imagined the other wizard's lips on his, hands gripping his hair just this shy of pain.

He let the moans and grunts wash over him as he imagined what it would be like to undress Draco, revealing his body piece by piece until he could drop to his knees in front of him and take that thick length he felt rubbing against him between his eager lips. That image was his undoing and with a shout, he came hard, his seed painting strips of white along his hand and the floor.

Giving himself a moment to catch his breath, Harry used his wand to clean up the mess before pulling his clothing back into some form of respectability and leaving the loo to head to his second class of the day. Though his mind was far away from his studies and centered, distractedly on one platinum blonde dragon that seemed to have bespelled his every thought.

* * *

The year seemed to steam ahead with more speed and force after that meeting. Harry would sometimes catch Draco looking at him in odd or considering ways before he would pull his eyes away again. The blonde began to look more and more haggard as the weeks passed, his skin taking on an even paler complexion, his cheeks looked sunken and the shadows in and under his eyes seemed to deepen exponentially until Harry worried for his sanity and watched closely for a possible break.

Ron took his scrutiny as a sign that Harry thought Draco was up to no good and began a daily litany about the blonde's flaws and mistakes until Harry thought he was going to fly apart in rage from it. He knew Ron meant well but he really needed him to just shut the hell up. The snapping point came when word reached him that Ron had met with Draco in what Harry liked to term their 'spot' and had used a spell they had discovered in his borrowed potions book. The spell had almost killed the blonde and from the explanation Hermione had given him, it would leave a very nasty scar across the other wizard's chest.

Knowing he had to keep his thoughts and feeling about the young Death Eater to himself, he tasked Hermione with railing at Ron and getting him back in line. Funny enough she seemed to take great pleasure in ripping him into tiny shreds of ginger fluff on an hourly basis from that point on. He had once thought they might end up together but in recent days he noticed Hermione's interest had all but disappeared and he sometimes wondered where her mind ventured to when she was day dreaming. He never did have the courage to ask though.

Of course he found out in a rather surprising way during one of their double Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. He had been packing up his bag, running late as he had been looking at Draco from under his fringe and had missed the end of the class, when an image had slid along his mental walls. Thinking it was the Professor letting him know their next meeting time, he had allowed the image in only to widen his eyes in shock as the message cleared.

He watched in his mind's eye as Hermione walked up to the front of the classroom after everyone had left, thanked Snape for his bravery and all he was doing to prepare them and keep them safe, before she wrapped her arms around him and gave him one of her spine cracking hugs. He watched as her version of Snape kept his arms out to his sides in obvious confusion and indecision before the image faded. Looking over he saw Hermione looking directly into their Professor's eyes and with a nod and a small smile she grabbed her bag, called for him to come along, and left without another word.

Looking up at Snape, he knew that the Professor knew he had ridden that magical current as well. With a raised eyebrow he told Hermione he would catch up to her and waited until the room cleared. Walking to the front he pushed himself up to sit on the table top of one of their desks, crossing his arms to stare at his mentor whose cheeks tinted a slight pink.

"How long has that been going on?"

The droll look he received from Snape made him snort but he kept his face stern as he waited for an answer. With a sigh of aggravation, Snape pinched the bridge of his nose as he answered.

"Your impetuous friend decided to assault my person mentally several months ago. Thanks to your spewing of my virtues, she has taken it upon herself to learn how to project thoughts and images to other people so that she could show me, without breaking any rules or exposing my act for what it is, that I am appreciated and that someone else besides you cares for my well-being. So don't give me that 'what are your intentions' look Potter…I have done nothing to encourage it in any way!"

He couldn't help the sly grin that slid on his face as the Professor raised his head to meet his eyes.

"You don't seem to have done anything to discourage it either…Professor."

He could not help riling the man up at times and this moment had presented itself too perfectly to pass up. With a huff of frustration, Snape shoved his chair back and stood in a flutter of black robes and crackling magic.

"I know…and I don't know why! What the hell is wrong with me that I can't tell that little swotty know-it-all to mind her own business and stay out of my head?"

The growl in his voice Harry had learned well over the past months and with not a little surprise he realized that Snape liked the mental hugs and didn't know what to do about it. He knew part of that was the fact that Hermione was a student and Snape would never cross that line no matter how old she really was. He also knew Snape's ability to trust was a very cracked and fragile thing but his need for some form of affection was just as fragile but still there.

Really examining how he felt about it all, Harry realized he only wanted the people he loved to be happy and content. Knowing this to be absolutely true, Harry took a moment to order his words to be as calm and accepting as possible before speaking.

"I would say sir that nothing is wrong with you at all. A beautiful, intelligent woman is offering you affection and compassion in the only way she knows you can have it at the moment and it is hurting no one. By allowing her to share that with you, you are not breaking any rules or your own moral code. The hugs are of a friendly nature and there is no untoward aspect to them in any way. If I were to give you any advice at all it would be this…"

Kicking his legs to hop off the table he stooped to pick up his satchel and slung it over his head before meeting his Professor's eyes again.

"You have that same ability and yours is more honed. Next time she does it…take control of the image and hug her back. It can be as awkward and platonic as you want to make it but let her know that what she is doing is appreciated even if you can't truly show her. We all need touch Severus…physical contact with other beings. That touch does not have to be sexual but can truly just be a warm hug of acceptance and care from a friend or even a pupil who thinks the world of her Professor."

Leaving his mentor with those parting words and the stunned look on his face, Harry takes his time walking down to the dining hall. His own heart aches as he wishes for a moment to be able to take a certain blonde wizard into his arms again and remind him that there really is someone out there besides his mother who cares for his well-being. As he entered the noisy room he allowed his eyes to track to the left under the hair he let fall into his face.

He met the blank mercurial stare of the wizard that plagued his every dream and for once he let the hurt and despair fill his eyes for Draco to see. The blonde's throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly. Harry straightened his posture and moved his head till he held it high like he normally did. He let the other wizard watch his body take on the persona of the-boy-who-lived while allowing his eyes to show the pain, the exhaustion, the dissatisfaction with having to play a role one did not ask for. He saw the comprehension as it flooded into Malfoy's eyes and knowing he had shown what he wanted to show, Harry let the false pride and happiness Severus taught him to show bleed over his own torment as he turned and with as loud and enthusiastic of a voice as his house mates greeted him, he greeted back as he headed for his seat.


	4. Chapter 4-Understood

**Greetings Readers!**

**Hope you all have a lovely Friday. Warning still in place for any and all chapters. If you are under the age of 18-do please go to a kid friendly/young adult friendly story and not mine...kthanksbye!**

**Always**

**~Tempest**

* * *

Draco stood quietly in the alcove and waited as the crowd trickled by on their way to the dining hall. He had watched Potter over the past few months and he always managed to be near the back and alone with Granger. He was hoping that either she already knew and would just let it go when he motioned for Potter's attention or the boy-wonder would be able to explain away his odd behavior.

As he waited he went over and over in his head what tomorrow would mean for him and for everyone else in this castle. One of the spells on the scroll Potter had provided had been just what he needed and he was horrified to realize that the brains of the Golden Trio was the reason he was going to be able to let the Death Eaters into the school now. He wondered if she knew what her hard work was going to bring about…somehow he doubted it.

Lost in thought he almost missed the mop of unruly raven hair and with a small slide of his feet, Draco appeared in the hallway. Those green eyes snapped up to meet his as soon as he was visible and though Potter slammed his Occlumency shields into place quickly, he still caught the moment of despair that always seemed to be present in the other wizard's eyes when they looked at each other.

Gesturing with his head to the hidden alcove, Draco watched as Potter met eyes with Granger and they seemed to share some unspoken words before she turned her eyes to him. The look she gave was calculating and he could see the edge of mistrust that she tried to hide. Potter leaned down and said something quietly in her ear and with a sigh she nodded at him, gave Potter a small smile, and continued on her way to dinner alone.

Stepping back into the alcove and going deeper into the tunnel that connected to it, Draco leaned his back against the wall as his eyes adjusted again to the dim lighting that spilled from the hallway. The soft footfalls of Potter stopped in front of him and he raised his eyes to see Potter leaning on the opposite wall, his arms crossed over his chest, the look on his face blank and unreadable.

"What do you need Malfoy?"

The cold tone caused Draco's skin to pebble with gooseflesh and he rubbed up and down along his arms to try to get rid of the feeling. Licking his lips he watched Potter's eyes follow the movement and he wondered if maybe the chance was not too late after all. Gathering what little courage he had left, Draco took a steadying breath before he spoke.

"I wanted to warn you."

One eyebrow rose in a very good imitation of his Godfather and for a moment Draco stood frozen under that look. He knew Potter needed to learn to shield his mind but he realized he hated not seeing his every emotion anymore.

"About?"

The blasé way Potter's voice came out set fire to his seemingly uncontrollable temper that he had acquired this year and with a growl Draco shoved off the wall. Reaching up, his grip on Potter's chaotic hair was punishing as he yanked his head back with brutal force. He braced for retaliation only to freeze again at the moan that slipped from between his lips.

He watched as the shields crumbled and Potter's pupils dilated in desire. Without really caring about his original goal, Draco set his lips roughly against the other wizard's and took what he wanted, his tongue sweeping against his bottom lip before he bit down, demanding entrance.

Potter opened to him with no resistance and as he plunged his tongue to tangle with the other wizards, he couldn't help but thrill at how he seemed to melt against him. He had never had any real control of any aspect of his life. To have the savior of the wizarding world submitting in his arms sent a spike of white hot need straight to his cock.

Taking his time he savored the taste of caramel that lingered on Potter's tongue. He had been yearning to talk to him, touch him, taste him again since the last time they had kissed what felt like so very long ago and now that he had him here…he was not going to miss his opportunity to have the wizard submit his mouth to him one last time. It would be the perfect memory to hold on to when the spell to end his life was soaring through the air, as it inevitably would someday.

Breaking the kiss he let his lips travel along Potter's chin and down his neck, sucking and biting as he went, leaving little red and pink marks of possession. The whimper that slipped from Potter's throat caused him to pause and look up at him. Through the haze he watched as Potter bit his own lip, his gaze dropping as he lowered his head slightly. He wasn't sure if Potter meant it to seem the way Draco took it, but he had seen the wolves submit to Greyback in the same manner and something inside him crowed in delight at the thought.

That spike shot through him again and Draco rolled his hips and rubbed his now aching length along Potter's. Their groans came in perfect unison and he had to do it again just to see if it really felt as good as he thought. As the pleasure rolled along his spine he decided that it did indeed and continued to roll his hips, pushing harder into the other wizard's body for friction as he resumed kissing his lips with a fever that was burning close to out of control.

Lifting his mouth to tilt his head a different way as he took in a ragged breath, Draco paused as a whispered _please_ crossed his lips in a rush of air. Drawing back completely he took in the blown pupils and trembling lips as Potter panted against his mouth.

"Please what Potter?"

Potter rocked his hips as he shuttered, his head dropped back against the wall while he tried to catch his breath.

"It's Harry…and I want to please you…I need to…do something…please Draco."

His surprise must have shown at hearing his given name because Pott…Harry took advantage of his stunned moment to grab his shoulders and turn them both around. Without any real finesse he dropped to his knees in front of him and Draco felt the magic that undid his belt, popped the button free and dragged the zipper down. What had Harry been studying to know how to do that?

He didn't get time to really think about it before he was engulfed in the warm, wetness that was Harry's mouth. That first touch had his balls tightening and he hissed as he clenched his fists, the pain of his nails pushing his orgasm back some. His head fell back to hit the stone wall and even that pain only helped to slow the impending pleasure a tiny bit.

What he may have lacked in experience he made up for completely in uninhibited enthusiasm and greed. Every time he slid to the root, Draco could feel Harry humming and it allowed him to go further down his throat than should be possible. Each time he started to come back up he would swallow and the constriction would weaken Draco's knees before his lips pressed down and he sucked the length of him. He wished he could hold out forever, just bask in the pleasure until the world came to an end on its own but Harry's wicked tongue and the obscene slurping noises that reached his ears was his body's undoing.

"Harry…I'm going to…"

He pushed what words he could out past his mounting pleasure as he tried to pull away from the other wizard's mouth. The excited groan that vibrated up his length was the last straw as Harry gripped his ass and held him so he couldn't pull away. Biting down on the meat of his palm to muffle his cry of completion, Draco shot his essence in long spurts of agonizing pleasure down the wizard's throat.

Shaking as his knees turned hollow, Draco pulled away with a moan. Harry's mouth let him go with a slight pop and he pulled his trousers back up enough so he didn't sit bare assed on the floor before sliding down. His bent knees on either side of Harry put the raven haired wizard at eye level and for some unknown reason that Draco didn't bother to try to fathom, he wanted to pull him into his arms and just hold him.

Realizing once again with an air of sorrow that this would probably be the last time he has a chance to do anything with the wizard who now starred in every one of his waking and sleeping fantasies, Draco followed his desire and reached forward, shifting him around until Harry was leaning with his back against his chest. Draco wrapped his arms over Harry's shoulders and held him close with his hands gripping the front of his shirt. Harry's hands gently moved up to lay over his and that one simple touch seemed to break the wall holding in his anguish.

Leaning so his forehead is resting on Harry's shoulder, Draco lets the tears come, his breath shuttering out on ragged sobs as his fear and hopelessness fly free. He has no idea how long he is kept under the onslaught of his emotions but when they clear, he is no longer holding Harry but is being held by him. Somehow in the midst of his break down, Harry had shifted back to his knees and pulled Draco up against him. Holding his head gently to his chest, Harry rocked him slightly back and forth in a soothing rhythm.

Silently casting a spell his mother taught him to clean his face of any unwanted fluids or puffiness, Draco looks up with reddened eyes to meet those beautiful forest green eyes of his most dangerous secret. The yellow and brown flecks seem to be deeper tonight and he wonders if that has to do with Harry's emotions, the way his tend to turn dark and stormy when he is angry. Searching those eyes for any sign of disgust or annoyance, Draco takes a steady breath when all he sees is understanding and compassion. He speaks before he really thinks about his words and for a split second he curses his inability to be the Slytherin he is supposed to damn well be!

"Why did you do that?"

For his part, Harry didn't seem to mind the abrupt words or question but seemed to find it amusing if the snort was anything to go by.

"Depends on what 'that' you are referring to…Draco. Why did I hold you while you were upset? Why did I let you kiss me again when I was trying so hard to stay distant? Why did I drop to my knees and drink you down like honey mead?"

The last he almost purred out and Draco felt his cheeks warm at the same time his body shivered with remembered pleasure and want.

"All of them…but I was referring to the last one specifically."

His voice came out scratchy and a touch husky and he had to clear his throat in embarrassment. He may not be very experienced himself but that was not the first time he had received that kind of sexual act…just with Harry…it seemed to mean…more.

Harry didn't blush though his sheepish face said if he did he would be very red at the moment but Draco had to hand it to him…he had spunk as he kept eye contact with him to answer.

"That last one is the easiest to answer actually. I have been dreaming about doing that to you ever since you first kissed me. And if I'm honest it may have been before that moment that I started to find you attractive. You have always been one of the most handsome wizards in Hogwarts, from day one, and you know it. Enemy or not, in a fight with you or not speaking at all, I am not any more immune to you than anyone else. I just happened to have better self-control most days…at least until you opened the way."

Shifting so that he was sitting on his bum, his back against the opposite wall, Harry pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them as he spoke.

"I have learned recently that I have been lied to and had the wrong idea about so many people and things. I came into this world ignorant of magic or politics or even my apparent fame and destiny. I was just an 11 year old boy who was happy to be away from a family that hated him and in a new place where maybe I could find something…else. I didn't know about the Malfoy's or the Weasley's or blood status. All I knew was I was a wizard and I had a place that was made just for me and people like me."

Sighing as he leaned his head back against the wall, Harry closed his eyes as a look of pained frustration took over his brow and mouth and caused creases around his eyes.

"Then I learned all about the prejudices of this world and I found myself forced to pick who I got to know…who I gave my loyalty to. Ron was the first person to ever be nice to me in my entire life so when you attacked him, I defended him because I had always read that is what you do for a…friend. And I so desperately wanted a friend. Of course that led to believing every single thing he and the Weasley's said about the Slytherins and the purebloods. Before I really knew it…you all were my enemies and that was just the way it was."

Looking back up and meeting his eyes, Harry gave him a soft smile that he swore he could feel all the way to the deepest spaces in his soul.

"After I found out about Vol…about him…my place, my journey was set in stone. Any who followed him were the villains and any who opposed him were allies. The lines were black and white, cut and dry…until I stalked a snotty, pureblood, blonde git into an abandoned bathroom and watched him break apart in front of my eyes the way I did inside every single night. And then for reasons I still cannot fathom…he kissed me and my entire world shift two steps to the right and I have not been able to fix it."

"You said you wanted to warn me so I figured that meant that the cabinet is fixed and it is almost time for you to let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. After our first run in, I went to Dumbledore and I not only had my rose colored glasses about him shattered, I learned many things I almost wish I didn't now know."

"Since that day, I have been going back every month to ask new questions and learn new information that will help me once he is gone. If they are coming here soon…that means I am leaving here soon and I have no idea when or…if…we will ever see each other again. I didn't want to leave without touching you, tasting you, giving you something to hold on to so that you remember you are not alone in this war."

"I held you while you cried because I know how it feels to need that support and I have it with Hermione. I also know with your upbringing that no matter how much your mother may want to…she can't give you that…especially not with him living in your home."

"And to be honest…in this moment…I got to choose to be the 'savior' instead of it being forced on me. Helping you, holding you, caring for you and hoping you stay alive and safe until this is all over…that is something I got to decide. Not a destiny or some prophecy or some old wizards forcing me into a corner. You…my feelings towards you…that is all mine and I'll be damned if all the other bullshite stops me from showing you that while I have the chance."

The air in Draco's lungs didn't seem to want to come out as he listened to Harry talk. He had no idea what he was feeling, what this bubbling, burning sensation in his chest was but it made him want to pull Harry close and hold on with all his might. Clenching his fists to keep them in his lap, Draco forced his brain and his lungs back to functioning as he swallowed around his dry tongue.

"I kissed you because you represented the light of the magical world, the good side that would vanquish the darkness and I wanted to see what that part of the world tasted, smelled, felt like."

Tilting his head to the side, some of his unruly raven hair falling over his eyes, Harry gave him a considering look.

"And what did it taste, smell, and feel like?"

Reminding himself it was his last night here and by this time tomorrow his entire world would either be over or controlled by a sociopath, Draco answered honestly once more.

"Salvation…it…you tasted like a glass of water after days without. You smelled like the ocean, wide and churning and free. And you felt like the first ray of sunlight after being trapped underground for a lifetime. I know it sounds cloying but for a moment, I wasn't Draco Malfoy, junior Death Eater, hated by all he sees. I was just Draco…a sixteen year old boy who could drink his water by the beach with his face turned to the sun. I was saved because in that moment I was free."


	5. Chapter 5-Destined

**Greetings!**

**Sorry this has taken so long...work has been work for once lol. Hope you who are following this little tale enjoy the update. I have only one more chapter planned but then again...I make no assurances to myself on that as my muse is known to just keep writing even when I planned to stop. So you can count on one more but I have no idea if it will stop there or not...we shall see!**

**This chapter is dedicated to Vine-my sweet little pixie who loves to hate and hates to love all the ways I pull her heart into teeny tiny pieces. Hope you enjoy all the possible feels I give you. Promise to make it up to you soon! If you have not read her stories yet, be sure to fly on over to her page, Tinkevine le Fey. She has some of the most delicious word imagery in the world!**

**Always**

**~Tempest**

**PS: I wish...I wish**

* * *

Had it really only been twenty four hours since that moment with Draco? Harry watched, as if in slow motion, Dumbledore tumble out of the astronomy tower window. He felt like weeks, maybe even months had passed, not hours. As time seemed to speed back up to normal, everything felt like a blur…everything but the look of sorrow and longing on Draco's face. Harry had done his bit and followed Severus and Draco and the rest of the death eaters onto the grounds of Hogwarts. He had yelled his accusations and profanities while throwing spell after spell at his mentor.

He had lain there trying to catch his breath as Severus did what he needed to do to prove his loyalty once and for all. He had pushed himself up from his prone position to see Severus take hold of Draco and he met those stormy gray eyes and tried to convey all he felt in that moment before the blonde was spun to the side and taken from him…possibly for good. Raging inside at the injustice of it all, Harry had not had to pretend his anger all that hard when Ron and Hermione caught up to him and he could see the same broken sorrow in Hermione's eyes as he knew he held in his own.

He knew she was hurting as much as he was. After his talk with Severus, Harry had admitted to Hermione what he had inadvertently seen. After her embarrassment subsided, Hermione had admitted that her admiration for his intelligence had only compounded with the knowledge Harry had given her and she had fallen hopelessly into a very intense adoration if not love for the enigmatic man. Hermione had told him several weeks later that Severus had taken his advice and had hugged her back during those mentally connected moments.

As the months passed the hugs had become less stilted and awkward and more warm and consuming. She even admitted that a few times that they were supposed to be reading a chapter, she had caught Severus' eye and sent him a hug during class as he sat behind his desk and Severus had not only returned it but had held her throughout the entire class, their eyes barely meeting as she pretended to read and he pretended to grade papers. He knew she was hurting at losing the man she had fallen in love with just as much as he now missed the wizard he was just getting a chance to really know.

Letting his mates pull him to his feet, Harry turned towards the castle, his face set in grim, stern lines. If the snake faced bastard wanted his war…he was going to get it! Setting off back to the castle with a determined walk, Harry began formulating his plan of attack. They would stay for the funeral and the end of the year feast with all their friends. They would pass along the details of the plan for the coming months and year that the others would need to follow. And with the bravery of their house, the brains of Ravenclaw, and the cunning stealth of Slytherin, the golden trio would slip out in the dead of night and begin their journey to the end.

* * *

Draco could feel his heart pounding in his chest like it was trying to beat its way out as his father and aunt demanded he identify the boy in front of him as _The Harry Potter_! Of course he knew it was Harry…he would know those green eyes anywhere. He didn't care anymore what it was going to cost him personally…he was not doing this. They had put him in an impossible position. Admit it was Harry Potter and have the wizard who somehow snuck his way into his heart destroyed or lie and say he didn't know and possibly have his mother or himself tortured and killed.

How does one chose between the people they love in situations like this. He hated himself so much he could barely stand it. He hated his weak willed sycophant father and psychotically obsessed aunt more. Closing his eyes so he didn't have to see the understanding and forgiveness resting in the other wizard's eyes, Draco let his breath out and made his decision.

"I can't…I can't be sure."

With his quietly uttered words the world around him exploded in seething rage and violence. He watched from under the hair in his eyes as Harry and Weasley were dragged away to the dungeons. He watched as Hermione was dragged into the center of his drawing room and tortured, her screams and cries echoing along the walls and deep into his already shattered soul. He watched as he bit his tongue until he tasted blood as that asinine word was carved into her arm forever marking her as inferior when she was anything but…

He was able to slip away during another screaming bout Bellatrix was having and with whispered words he called for help the only way he was able to…his house elf. Turns out it wasn't needed as Harry and Weasley came charging in, wands drawn to save their friend. He drew his own and fought Harry with very little effort and as his wand sailed out of his hand and into the savior's, he swore he heard Harry promise to take care of it before they disappeared in elf magic.

Draco slid to the ground and pulled his knees to his chest. His tears fell unchecked down his cheeks. A pair of pointed boots fell into his line of sight and as he turned his tear stained face up, he knew today was possibly the day he met his maker. He let one last prayer fly free for the Golden Trio as Bellatrix leveled his mother's own wand at him and uttered that spell in a crazed tone. He knew pain, he knew anguish, he knew satisfaction that they had failed…then he knew no more.

* * *

Harry was inconsolable at first. He cried for Dobby as they buried him on the grounds of Shell Cottage. He screamed and raged and cast spell after spell, destroying the targets Hermione made for him over and over again. He dropped in exhaustion on the sand only to roll his head into Hermione's lap and cry until his head ached and sleep took him. He woke in an unfamiliar bed with his screams dying on his lips as Ron held him firmly. The bed sheets were twisted around his legs and he was shivering from the sweat drying on his skin in the chilly air.

He let his body relax, trusting the arms that held him together and let his tears come. When he spoke, Ron's voice was not angry or offended but filled with a compassion he very rarely let out.

"Tell me about Draco mate…I think it's time you let me in on the secrets I wasn't ready to hear."

And so…he did. As his tears flowed like a healing potion from his eyes and cleansed his heart, he told his best mate about the moment in the abandoned bathroom. He told him about the confessions, the pain and defeat Draco carried. He told him about the cabinet and what he had Hermione do. He told him what he had learned from Dumbledore and Severus and that he knew all that was coming and had let it happened as it needed to happen.

He told him about the talks and the kisses, the hugs and in less detail the alcove. He laid his heart bare and waited for the condemnation he was afraid would come now. Ron wasn't known for his forgiveness or understanding. So when the arms only tightened around him, his shock stopped the tears dripping from his eyes and a hope he thought he had lost started to bloom.

"I can't say I get it Harry, but you and Hermione are my best friends. You're like family to me. So if saving bleeding Draco Malfoy and Snape is what you want to do then we will work that into our strategy. You have lost enough and I am not going to sit by, no matter how much I hate the ferret, and let no nose take another person from you that you love."

Looking up he gave Ron a bright smile, the first one in weeks that he had allowed himself to have. Hermione sat down on the other side of him and put her arms around him as well, leaning against his back.

"Is that why you stopped looking at me the same Hermione? Are you in love with Snape?"

He watched her eyes grow dark in sadness as she nodded. Ron's sigh was deep and melancholy before he chuckled and shook his own head.

"Set aside for the bat of the dungeons. Figures! But it makes sense doesn't it? If anyone could keep up with our Hermione…it would be him."

Tilting his head down, Ron gave Hermione a gentle kiss on the top of her head and a sweet, boyish smile.

"Once we win this war, I'll be as much of a hero as Harry. No need to look sad love…I'll have plenty of lovely witches to date and fall in love with. Somehow I think I always knew you were above my reach."

Putting his finger on her lips as she started to protest, Ron gave her a goofy grin.

"I don't mean that in a negative way Mione. I just mean that I could never have kept up with your brain or your focus and you always needed someone who understood your obsession with learning and books. That wizard was never me and I think in the end, we will both be happier for it."

All three of them pulled apart to sit up straight. Harry looked from one to the other before giving a vicious grin.

"Are we ready to return to Hogwarts, find the last founder horcrux and destroy it?

At the nods of his two best mates, Harry stood up and headed for the last shower he would probably get to enjoy before the end of this war. It was time to end this!

* * *

Draco woke to soft hands smoothing over his hair and low voices murmuring to each other. He recognized both instantly as his mother and godfather and with some effort he peeled his eye lids up. For a moment the world was a blur of meshed colors and his heart skipped in fear before his eyes adjusted and his room came clearly into view.

He met the dark, fathomless eyes of his godfather first before turning his head carefully to look up at the crystal blue of his mother's ocean eyes. Her smile was soft and full of saddened relief and he returned it with a weak one of his own.

"How do you feel my dragon?"

Clearing his throat which felt like it was cracked from weeks with no water, he held his words as Severus reached over and brought a glass of water to his lips. Taking small sips, he let the cool liquid soothe his throat and closed his eyes with a hum of thanks.

"I feel like my insides have been shredded by dragons and the rest of me was thrown into a pen for hippogriffs to scratch around on. Are you okay?"

Her smile fills with love as she continues to pet his head. Nodding her head in assent, she leans forward to kiss his forehead.

"I am fine my dragon. Your father refused to allow Bellatrix to turn my own wand on me. Severus says he needs to talk to you privately, so I am going to go get you something to eat and I will be back shortly."

Getting up with one last kiss to his forehead, she glides gracefully out the door, patting his godfather's chest in affection as she goes. Severus waits for the door to close before he casts a spell that causes a buzzing in Draco's ears and sits on the edge of the bed in the spot his mother had just vacated.

"I need to see what happened. Can you show me?"

His voice is more expressive then Draco has ever heard it and he can see the worry and fear lingering in his eyes. Not wanting his godfather to suffer any longer he just nods and opens his mind. He feels the spell as it whispers over his thoughts and he is suddenly pulled back into the drawing room watching the entire ordeal play out again. As Bellatrix starts to scream crucio, Severus cuts off his link and pulls from Draco's mind. The anger and sadness in his eyes seems to be warring with each other as he stands and whirls in fury.

Pacing the length of his floor back and forth like a caged animal, Draco listens as Severus releases profanity after profanity, cursing the birth and blood of his aunt, his father, and pretty much half of Britain as he went. It the situation weren't so dire and fucked up, Draco would have laughed. When he finally whirled to a stop, his eyes met Draco's and they had settled on unrelenting fury.

"That bitch is going to pay dearly before she dies for marking Hermione with that…word! You did brilliant at keeping your head and not giving away what you knew Draco. I am proud of you."

He could feel his heart swell with pride even as his eyes betrayed him and filled with tears. Without warning he found himself in his godfather's arms for the first time in his memory and the surprise of it all halted any other break down.

"It's okay Draco. I swear to you…we are going to get you through this war and you will have a chance to see him again…I promise."

Eyes widening at how serious Severus sounded, Draco nodded as he fully believed he would do exactly as he said and wrapped his own arms around the older wizard. He had never received a hug from a father-like figure and after a moment he let himself sink into it and the warmth it brought. He was surprised that Severus held him for as long as he did and when they finally pulled apart, his hope had been renewed. They would survive this war and he would get to see Harry again. He knew this to be truth now…his godfather had promised!

* * *

Draco couldn't breathe. The air was there, he knew it was, but he could not seem to get it into his lungs. His eyes were stuck wide open, his heart bleeding out inside his chest. The voice of his master…his nightmare…droned on and on but all he could hear was the world coming to an end inside his own mind.

Harry…Potter…was dead…

That would not settle in his mind. He could not comprehend that statement. Even as his eyes roamed back and forth from his completely limp body in Hagrid's arms to his relaxed face. He just looked asleep. He had been hit with a sleeping spell and he was going to wake up anytime now and win this war for them all. It was his destiny! It was what he was born for, why he held his head up and carried on like the arrogant savior…because he was! He couldn't be…it just…NO!

Even as every part of him died inside, the Dark Lord's voice floated over to him. Shaking his head to try to dislodge the slithering sound, Draco glanced up at Hermione before he let the last of his soul fade with the pain in her eyes. Harry Potter…savior of the wizarding world…savior of his heart and soul…was truly dead. Hanging his head once more, his feet took him across the courtyard of the Castle at his father's insistent voice and he let his parents take him away.

What did it matter now? He had no intention of surviving this day but he refused to let his enemies and his fellow students see his death. He would meet his maker in his own way and on his own terms and hopefully be reunited with his soul mate on the other side.

* * *

Harry waited in absolute stillness. He had felt the moment he returned to his body. He had heard Lady Malfoy lie for him. He lay as if dead in poor Hagrid's arms as he was carried out of the forest and into the sight of all those who were counting on him. He had hurt for all of it but not even Ron's cry of denial or Hermione's sobs were enough to tempt him to act too soon. No…that had been the devastation on Draco's face that he had seen as he peered out from under his lashes at the blonde.

He saw the last bit of light in Draco's eyes die as he looked at what he thought was his dead form. He watched as the wizard gave up entirely, his whole being sinking in complete and utter despair and defeat. He heard the bastard tyrant call for him and even watched for a moment as Draco defied him. Only to have the elder Malfoy command his presence and Draco move as if on auto-pilot. It took every bit of his occlumency powers to keep himself limp and dead in Hagrid's arms when all he wanted to do was jump up and cry out so Draco would know he was alive.

He waited and waited until the perfect moment before springing into action. The gasps from his friends and the terrified death eaters that fled in puffs of black smoke at his obvious resurrection only fueled his actions. He only took a moment to glance around and when no discernible white-blonde hair stood out, he put all his focus into doing what he was born to do…de-fang a snake.

When the ashes settled and he stood on the bridge with just his two best friends, Harry couldn't help but lean his head on the railing of the part of the bridge that wasn't destroyed and just breathe. The air tasted crisp and clean and for the first time since he was eleven, Harry let a sigh of freedom…of relief…leave his chest. The hard part was over. Now he just needed to help rebuild and restore the broken world Tom Riddle had left in his wake and go collect the wizard he planned to have at his side till the end of his days.


	6. Chapter 6-Saved

**Well...**

**I have reach chapter 6 and it was supposed to be the last. This could be the end or I could keep going another chapter or two. I am not sure which I plan to do so for now I am going to mark it complete and if my muse throws a tantrum, I will add to it later.**

**I have a ton of projects all in the works plus I have stories to move to this account so I am going to leave you with this little tid-bit and wish you a wonderful day!**

**Always**

**Tempest**

**PS: Claw...should have been in the chat...you could have weighed in before I decided to just post woman. (cackling)**

* * *

To say he was furious was an understatement. His magic rolled inside him like a living, breathing creature as he took deep breaths in an attempt to calm his raging thoughts. He knew his eyes had turned dark with menace as the guard driving the boat kept glancing not at his companion but at him in suspicion and fear. It was a feat to be sure. It wasn't every day that someone feared you more than the former Death Eater spy Severus Snape.

Trying to keep his mind occupied as the boat moved slowly over the raging waters, magic the only thing keeping it afloat and them dry, Harry let his mind wander. As soon as he had been able to, Harry had broken away from the celebration and mourning and taken Hermione and Ron with him back to Malfoy Manor. They had stormed the mansion only to come upon the front door smashed open, the top half hanging off the hinges and silence.

After searching and calling his name, Harry had found half an arrest warrant for the Malfoy family and had realized that while he had been detained for days with the Order and the end of the battle aftermath, his lover had been taken from him. Riding on his anger alone, as sleep had yet to find him, Harry had gone to the ministry and demanded that Kingsley release Draco and Narcissa. Of course, in order to not seem like a corrupt politician like the rest had been, Kings had explained they would have to go through the proper channels.

It had only been two weeks since then and Harry, with Hermione's brainiac help and Ron's starch support, now had the paper work to free not only his heart and soul but the only other person in the world said wizard cared about more than himself. He just had to get to the other shoreline and he would be able to lay eyes on the man who haunted his every waking and sleeping thought. As Azkaban came into view, he shivered and his anger mounted. How dare they put an innocent in this place! Heads were going to roll!

Severus shifted beside him and as he looked up into his mentor's eyes, he knew he needed to get a hold of him temper. Magic was sparking off his skin and Severus' long, black hair was starting to stand on end from the closeness to his magic. Closing his eyes, he thought about the painstaking work it had been to heal Severus after Nagini had almost killed him. It had taken all three of them combining their magic to override the magical venom and close his wounds. They had left him safely hidden in the shrieking shack as they went to finish their task.

Hermione had stayed with him from that point on, helping with his brief physical and voice therapy and never letting his sour moods push her away. Severus was not one for being vulnerable and it made him a right arsehole to be frank. In the end, during one of his many tirades about not wanting to live and the choice being taken away yet again, Hermione had finally had enough and had gone to the kitchen and come back with a knife. Handing it to him, she brandished one of her own and in no uncertain terms had told Severus if he went, she followed.

It seemed his belief that no one truly cared for him and only wanted him alive for his abilities and reputation was shattered in that moment. He had dropped the knife with an anguished look and in two long strides pulled Hermione into his arms and held her the same way he had started to hold her in their minds. The tears had come next and that had been the point Harry and Ron had arrived. Instead of anger, Severus kept his face buried in Hermione's slightly less wild hair and Harry and Ron had done what they always did in times like these…they had joined the hug and all had let their fear and pain and heartbreak free.

His recovery had sped up from there and as soon as he was able, Severus had faced the courts and been found not guilty. He took his Order of Merlin money and hired the best lawyers with Harry. Now they both were traveling across this godforsaken water to rescue and bring home two very important people. Using his trust in Severus, Harry managed to pull his anger behind his shields and waited as patiently as possible for the boat to come ashore.

As the boat bumped against the dock, Harry jumped out and waited for Severus, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Side by side the two walked up to the barred metal door of the prison, the howling wind whipping his hair in his face and making Severus robes swirl like an angry tornado. Two loud knocks with magic from their wand and they were let in to the gloomy entrance, the wind dying away and leaving him feeling disheveled as soon as the door closed behind them.

The Warden of the prison came to greet them, a smile on his face until he met Harry's eyes. Swallowing thickly he introduced himself before asking what he could do for the two of them.

"We have come to collect two of your prisoners. They have been found to be held here without probable cause and have been given a full pardon by the courts and the Minister himself."

Severus' deep voice was calm and cold, his emotions hidden well behind his wall of occlumency as he handed the warden the proper paperwork. Harry watched as the man scanned it and a furrow formed between his brows.

"All seems to be in order but I have to tell you…neither is in very good shape at the moment. I found several of the guards here were using their position to lord power over the prisoners. Lady Malfoy suffered minor bruises as that guard was caught immediately when he went after her. The young Mr. Malfoy however, he is in much worse shape."

Papers rustled on the desks in the room as Harry closed his eyes and tried to breathe normally. The scones on the wall flared higher as the flames reacted to his anger and Severus gently laid a hand on his shoulder to try to help him find his center.

"Why is he still in worse shape Warden Kane? Do you not have a medical staff here?"

Again the Warden cleared his throat in nervousness before replying.

"I have been waiting on a replacement. The one that is here refuses to treat any death eaters on the premises and no matter what punishment we threatened, he has held to that view. I have kept him on only until a replacement is found so the other prisoners have a healer but as Mr. Malfoy has the mark on his arm…the healer refuses to touch him."

Several picture frames on the guard's desks shattered as Harry gritted his teeth. He laid this newest issue with his magic squarely at the dead Dark Lord's feet. It seemed when he killed the horcrux in his head, he left the anger still deep inside Harry and without the connection to Voldemort to contain and control it…when he got angry he lost his hold on his magic. As usual, Severus wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders and pulled him close. The warmth from his mentor's body and the deep, hypnotic voice in his ear pulled him back from the brink of destruction and with a deep breath he opened his eyes to address the Warden.

"I want the name of your healer! He will be brought up on charges of neglect and dereliction of duty. And I want to be taken to Draco Malfoy's cell…immediately."

There was no give or request in his voice and for once Harry planned to use every bit of his hero status to get what he wanted as fast as possible. With a nod the Warden asked two of the guards to escort Harry to Mr. Malfoy's cell and took Severus with him to collect the necessary files and paperwork on the healer, Draco, and Narcissa.

Harry followed between the two guards, his arms crossed so his wand handle was in his hand in case he needed to draw it fast. His war instincts had only grown over the years and as Moody always said…constant vigilance. He no longer thought he could trust anyone in this building and made sure he was ready for every possible mishap.

The climb up was long and arduous. There was no elevator here but the tower in the center went round and round as it climbed from one level to the next. Prisoners looked out of tiny windows to sneer and glare as they passed, many he didn't recognize but some that he did. They were all dirty and unkempt and Harry knew once he told Hermione about the state of this place, criminals or not, it would become yet another crusade she would work herself tirelessly on.

Five exhausting floors later, they came to a stop outside a non-descript door. The silence from this room made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and with an impatient huff he glared at the guard with the keys.

"Open the door!"

* * *

Draco sat in the corner of his cell. Every part of his body still felt like it was on fire from the pain. The two guards had not bothered with magic but had taken their time in punishing him for all the sins of the war with their fists and feet. He had been kicked and punched, his hair grabbed so they could hold his head in place to pummel.

Licking along his teeth he was sure at least three of them were loose and one broken. His eyes were swollen shut to the point he could barely see at all. He was pretty sure his nose was broken even though the bleeding had finally stopped. His breathing was labored as with every breath a sharp pain radiated through his ribs and up his chest. He wasn't sure but he couldn't move his wand hand from the wrist down and he was so numb now that he couldn't even feel the pain that had been shooting up his arm.

If the blasted aurors had been just a few minutes later, Draco would not be here suffering from such barbaric methods of punishment. He had finally convinced his mother to go rest and had been left alone in his room. His father had tried forcing them to pack their belongings to flee but he and his mother refused to run anymore. He had just upended the potion and let the contents pour down his throat when the wards had been breached.

Before the poison even had time to rush through his system, the aurors were there casting spells to sustain his life until a healer could be brought in. He was given the antidote, shackled, and dragged to this horrid place within the hour. It only took a few days for the guards to find out about him and a few more for them to get him alone. Then the beatings had begun.

He could only hope that Granger and Weasley would remember what Harry felt for him and possibly save him or his mother…though he had little hope for either. He didn't think he would survive another round with the buffoons who seemed to think him the perfect outlet for their anger and pain. He could care less if they killed him but he was terrified his mother was receiving the same or worse treatment and he needed her out of here.

Shuffling footsteps had him flattening himself against the wall as best he could, his head hanging down as his hair fell in matted locks against his face. It was such a trivial thing, but what he wouldn't give for a shower right now. Grimacing as the steps stopped outside his cell, Draco closed his eyes, knowing this would be the last time he would have to go through this. His body did not have enough energy left to survive another attack like the ones he had already endured.

His limbs froze in shock as his mind screamed in confusion and disbelief, a familiar voice hissed out in anger just outside the door.

"Open the door!"

As the key turned in the ancient lock, the scraping making him cringe as it hurt his sensitive ears, Draco peered out of his swollen, blurry eyes as the door swung open and light flooded in from the hallway. The silhouette of a guard stepped into the room and quickly stepped to the side. The next figure in the room seem to freeze in place as he took a step in and he could feel powerful magic rolling in waves along the walls of the cell, a malevolence to it that scared him to the marrow of his bones.

"Go get the man I came here with and bring him here immediately. Tell him it is urgent. And both of you get the fuck out!"

Though the words held a wealth of hatred and menace, the tone, the voice was like music to his ears and his soul shattered as he wondered who had discovered his secret and planned to use that against him now too. Pulling his legs in to try to make himself as small as he could, Draco waited for the pain to start…though he knew the pain in his heart was going to be what killed him today.

"Lord Potter…we can't just…"

"NOW!"

The yell caused him to cry out as the sound was too much for his ears which had heard very little since he had been here. It turns out when silence is almost all you have…it becomes very loud indeed. The two guards scattered from the cell as crackles of lightning ran along the door frame and up the ceiling. For a moment all was still as the person masquerading as Harry seemed to be breathing very loudly.

He saw the shape of a wand pulled from his forearm and waiting for the Avada to come, Draco was surprised when instead he heard the broken whisper of a spell and a faint light burst from the tip to form into a stag. It pranced in place for a moment before that same broken voice spoke again.

"Hermione…I need you and Ron at Azkaban right now! Bring medical supplies and potions and the crew. I don't trust that Severus and I will be able to get Draco and his mom out alone anymore. Please hurry Hermione…they hurt him…bad."

The last part broke off in what sounded like tears as the figure moved slowly into the room, his wand put away and his hands out to his sides in a show of surrender.

"Draco…I know you think I'm dead and I know you are probably terrified this is some kind of cruel trick right now. In the Order we had a system to prove it was us. We would ask each other a question or two only we would know the answer to in order to prove our identity. Can you speak enough to ask me one that will help you at least start to believe it's really me?"

He watched as the Harry look-a-like came closer and knelt on the ground in front of him just out of arms reach. The pose sent a flash of memory through his mind of the last time he had seen Harry on his knees and the tears blurred his already damaged vision more. Careful not to pull at his injuries too much, Draco opened his mouth and let the words slur past his bruised jaw and the broken skin on his lips.

"You asked me once why I kissed you. What was my reason?"

He could barely make out the sad smile that crossed those soft lips that stayed buried in his mind and Draco had to close his eyes with the onslaught of pain that thought caused.

"You said you kissed me because I represented the light side that would win over the darkness and you wanted to see what that side tasted, smelled, and felt like."

The sob that shuttered through his throat hurt as it irritated tears in his throat he had from screaming in pain. Pushing past the pain, he asked the next thing that came to mind.

"What did I say it tasted like?"

His voice cracked as the tears started to flow in earnest, a small light of hope beginning to burn in the center of his chest.

"There was a lot of detail but to put it simply…you said it tasted, smelled, and felt like salvation."

He had no idea where the sound came from but as it pushed past his broken lips he swore he sounded like a wounded animal as he tried to move towards the figure.

"Harry?"

He could hear the hope and longing in his voice and he hated himself for it. If this was an elaborate trick, they had just broken him.

"It's me Draco…I swear it on my magic….it's me."

The wizard moved until he was cradling Draco against him and Draco felt the touch of his familiar magic. You could disguise many things…but not that. His shattered soul righted itself in his core as his entire world came back together in that one single moment. His cry of joy hurt his probably broken ribs and torn throat but he ignored the pain as he wrapped his arms around him and held on with all the strength he had left in his battered body.

"It's okay…I've got you. I told you I was going to save you too. I never break a promise! We are getting you and your mother out of here…today!"

He had no idea how much time passed as he held on to his wizard and cried out the fear and pain and let the relief and elation fill him up till he felt ready to burst. Another familiar voice spoke and as he opened his blurry eyes he took in his godfather's dark stare and the tears started all over again.

"You saved him?"

The dark chuckle that came from Severus only made him continue stare in awe. He had never really heard the man make a sound like that.

"They all saved me my boy. They saved my life with their magic and they saved my heart with their care. Now it's time we spread that disgusting Gryffindor energy your way."

Though the words came out deadpanned, the warmth in his eyes made Draco smile softly at him. Opening his mouth he allowed Severus to pour a potion onto his tongue and he swallowed as he was instructed. The gentle hand on his hair and the press of lips on his forehead had Draco's eyes closing in contentment. Harry and Severus were here…he was saved.

"I thought we had lost you my boy. No one is ever going to hurt you again. Not while I am breathing. Now rest. When you wake you will be back in the safety of our home."

His godfather's words followed him into the oblivion of sleep, the smell of the ocean lingering just on the tip of his senses as he let the darkness take him away.


	7. Chapter 7-Loved

**Greetings!**

**I know I said CoC was next but you can blame this little bit on Vinebaby (TinkerVine le Fey on the site) because she is holding my update to 'Wings' hostage until I gave her more of this fic. So here it is Vine now you get to posting woman! I need to see how it ends!**

**Also-I try my hardest not to get soap-boxey as this is meant to be a site for fun and entertainment. However, I received some very hateful reviews/pm's lately over this particular story. So I will say this: I am religious in my own way and I do believe in a higher power. However, if your God is hateful towards something as simple and pure as love, no matter the genders involved...your God is not my God and no matter what you spew at me...it will go in one ear and out the other. If your religion pushes you to hate one human being for being different then you then that is not a religion I will ever follow. Instead of judging others who care not what you say...try turning that mirror towards yourself.**

**A quote from one of my favorite movies: _Love? Above all things I believe in love. Love is like oxygen. Love is a many splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong...All you need is love!_ (Moulin Rouge)**

**So if you have found love or are still looking with an open heart, I hope and pray you are blessed in it!**

**Always**

**~Tempest**

**PS: I also quoted from my favorite video game near the end. The story of your choice written just for you to the first person to see it and tell me where it is from.**

* * *

Draco came awake slowly, his consciousness swimming up through the fog in his mind at a languid pace. He could feel magic peeling away from his mind as he reached for wakefulness and he wondered how long he had been under such a heavy sleeping spell. He blinked his eyes open only to close them again as the world refused to come into focus.

Trying again, Draco continued to blink until slowly but surely his surroundings began to lose that medical haze and sharpen. Madam Pomfrey stood over him, her wand moving in one hand and she gave him a gentle smile as she used her other hand to put her finger against her lips in a stay quiet motion. Motioning with her head to his other side, she went back to focusing on whatever she was doing near his leg.

Turning his head, Draco had to hold his breath to not make a sound as he took in the other occupant of the king sized bed he was laying in. Harry was stretched out beside him on his stomach. His face was relaxed in sleep, unaware of the eyes taking all of him in. His hair was mussed as usual and wisps of it fell over his forehead to cover his eye. His face was otherwise unobscured and Draco had to stop from reaching over to touch the mark on his lip.

He had no idea why Madam Pomfrey had not healed that as well but it looked like Harry had taken at least one punch to his beautiful lips. The cut was thin and scabbed over, giving him a very bad boy look to his usually pretty boy face. Without his glasses on Draco could see the dark circles under his eyes from obvious days without decent sleep and it made him want to pull the other wizard close and hold him until he caught up on that needed priority.

Pulling his eyes away from Harry's mesmerizing face, a face he didn't think he would ever see alive again, Draco took in the rest of his body. He was shirtless and the muscles along his back were lean but tight, causing him to shiver as he remembered being held by his strength. There were a few cuts that looked to be in the process of healing along the side closest to him and across his shoulder blades. He really wanted to know what had happened to cause him to be injured.

He wore only a thin pair of Slytherin green pajamas bottoms and Draco realized as he focused on an odd shape in the fabric that it was his old Slytherin night pants that he got a few birthdays ago. The length and size must have been altered slightly as Harry was both taller than him by a few inches and had a much plumper ass than he did. Said ass at the moment looked good enough to eat wrapped in his pajamas.

Shaking his head and that thought away for now, Draco finished his perusal at Harry's bare feet, something that one did not see often unless married. It was considered a very taboo thing to see one's body unclothed in a private setting such as this unless you were a bound couple in the pureblood world. The locker room after Quidditch was one thing…this felt…intimate, sacred…right.

His attention was drawn back to Madam Pomfrey as the spell that was licking along his legs disappeared. Looking back at her he offered her a smile of thanks and she returned it with a soft one of her own. Leaning down she whispered to him as to not wake Harry.

"The potions on the side table need to be taken in an hour. I am sure Severus will be here about that time to ensure you take them in the proper order. Wanted to make sure you knew the time frame you had before you were interrupted by more people. I am happy to see you alive and well Mr. Malfoy. I will see you in the morning for another check-up."

With those parting words she nodded to him and taking her bag with her she took her leave. He waited until the door to his room closed before moving other parts of his body. Beyond a dull pain along his ribs and the stiffness that had set in from being in bed for who knows how long, Draco felt wonderful. The breaks and cuts had all been healed as if they had never been.

Realizing he was also clean from head to toe and he didn't have to make a trip to the restroom, he thanked Madam Pomfrey mentally again for her excellent care and thoroughness. He didn't even have to leave the bed yet which gave him an hour with Harry before his Godfather showed up.

Rolling over, careful not to wake him with the movement, Draco brushed the pieces of his fringe away from his face before tracing his lips gently with his thumb. Still having no answer to the remaining cut on his lip, Draco wanted to sooth the ache it must have caused. Leaning forward he carefully ran his tongue over the spot, back and forth until the other wizard sighed.

As Harry shifted just enough to turn his face fully to Draco's exploration, he took advantage and sucked the damaged flesh carefully into his mouth. Licking and sucking as gently as he could, Draco took his time 'kissing' the cut better before exploring the rest of Harry's lips. It didn't take much longer before consciousness returned fully to the green eyed wizard and he opened his mouth to let Draco in.

Realization that Harry was in fact alive and in the bed with him finally washed over Draco and with a whimper of disbelief and relief, he sank into the kiss, moving to lay on top of the other wizard with his hands buried in his hair as soon as he rolled all the way over. Harry's arms came up and around him and held him gently, as if he knew too much pressure would shatter him completely.

He could feel the tears falling from beneath his lashes and rolling down his cheeks to wet Harry's as well but he didn't care. He had the taste of salvation on his tongue, the smell of the ocean in his nose, and the feel of sunlight in his arms. He was free and safe and warm all because of the boy-who-lived and that same wizard was in his arms again. Destiny could be a cruel mistress but she could also grant you your every wish if she so desired.

Calloused hands slid under his shirt and he broke the kiss long enough to help pull it over his head. He felt the muscles under his own hands bunch as Harry threw the shirt somewhere in the room and then those same hands were back on his skin. He canted his body to the side for balance and let his own hands roam over the hard steel covered by velvet skin of Harry's chest, moaning into his mouth as pleasure zinged through his own body at the glide of palms along his ribs.

He lost track of the world around him as his focus centered completely on the angles and planes of Harry's body, the wet slide of their tongues dancing together, the pleasure that shot through his body every time he rolled his hips and his aching cock rubbed against the other wizard's body. He whimpered when teeth were set into his lip this side of pain. He moaned when nimble hands of his lover caressed a sensitive spot. He cried out when those same hands raked nails down his back as his own hands gripped and caressed Harry's manhood.

He gave his consent as he felt his own pajama bottoms being pulled down with a groan of need. He hissed in denial when he thought Harry was pushing him away only to moan again when he was pulled back just as quickly to rub bare skin against bare skin. His eyes clenched shut as Harry wrapped his hand around both of their stiff lengths and rolled his hips in time with Draco, sending a wave of pleasured friction through his body as he marveled at the feel of his own ridges as they rubbed against Harry's.

The heat, the friction, the closeness was all too much and it felt like no time had passed at all before he was shooting his releases across his lover's stomach. His cries of abandonment spurring the other wizard on and just as he started to come down, Harry came with a hoarse cry of his own, his seed mixing with Draco's. Not caring about the sticky mess between them, Draco lay fully on Harry and devoured his mouth again, pouring all of his relief and adoration into the kiss.

The knock on the door pulled them both apart with a start and he gave Harry a sheepish grin before rolling off of him and reaching down to grab his pajama bottoms from around his ankles. Harry produced his wand from who knows where and cast a quick scorgify on them both before righting his own pajama bottoms. Both boys settled into the pillows just as the door opened and his Godfather came…well strangely enough not billowing in but rather with less flare than normal.

"I'm over joyed to see you both awake and…dressed. I knew the moment Pomfrey left there was a good chance I was going to walk in to something I did not wish to see."

He felt his cheeks heat and looking over at Harry, he noticed two pink spots forming on his face as well. At least he wasn't alone in his embarrassment.

"I will only be able to stay long enough to make sure you both take your potions and then I must make my way back to Miss Granger. The curse along her abdomen is being particularly stubborn to heal so I have to get back to my potions that are brewing."

Draco sat up with what he knew was a confused and worried look on his face. His Godfather shook his head as he started to hand him potions one by one in a particular order.

"I am unable to explain right now as I truly do not have the time. I'm sure Potter can fill you in on what you missed while you were sleeping and anything he misses I will return to answer as soon as I know our little lioness is safely on her way to a full recovery."

Handing him the last potion, he watches as he drinks it down with a grimace as Severus hands Harry a black potion he has never seen before. The contents seem almost malevolent in the way they swirl and bubble. His confusion deepens as he watches Harry take the vial without any hesitation and tip it back like a shot of firewhiskey. As he swallows, he clutches the vial in his hand, his face screwing up in a mask of pain before he exhales. A thin cloud of black smoke seeps from his open lips and dissipates in the air as he opens his watering eyes to hand the vial back to Severus.

"I know Potter. Only two more and you should be back to your usual impulsive, brash and annoying self."

The words are typical of his Godfather but the amused glint in his eyes is something altogether new and Draco cannot wait for someone to explain to him what all he has missed. Looking at Severus with absolute confusion as he smooths down Draco's hair, he is struck by a sense of being cared for and loved that he has never had from another adult aside from his mother. A kiss is placed once more on his brow before Severus turns and leaves in the same abrupt way that he entered…sans billowing.

"Where are his robes?"

The laughter that rings out has him grinning as he realizes of all the questions to ask…that one was the least important but seemed to be the most urgent on his tongue.

"He hasn't worn them except when we go out in public and he needs the intimidation they provide to his persona. He has been busy making potions and tending to all four of us so he decided to stay comfortable I guess. Though I agree it is odd that he doesn't billow as he walks."

Turning his head to meet those green eyes he dreamt so much about, Draco once again takes in Harry's face and reaches up to gently touch the cut on his lower lip.

"How did this happen and why didn't Madam Pomfrey or Severus heal it?"

The grin he is given makes his body tingle with desire even as his heart picks up speed.

"Hermione said it gave me a rakishly sexy vibe. I wanted to see if it was true when you woke up so I asked them to let it heal naturally. Is it true?"

Draco took in his face again, letting his eyes caress his tousled hair, smooth skin, boyish grin and that 'rakish' cut and realized that Hermione was right. It did give him a sexy quality of a different sort. Leaning forward he answered without words, pulling Harry to him by the grip in his hair as he kissed him like he wanted to eat him alive. Pulling back as Harry moaned against his lips, Draco gave his own rakish smile before continuing.

"So what all did I miss while I was out? And how long was I asleep? The last thing I remember was Severus and you in my cell in Azkaban."

Harry's eyes lost some of the desire as his mind turned back to the conversation. Draco watched a few sparks run along his arms as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You have been asleep for six days. You had extensive internal bleeding that had to be addressed first. Once Madam Pomfrey was satisfied you were out of danger there, they had to reset a bone in your leg and then let that heal. Your ribs were cracked in multiple spots which took several hours a day to mend as it is not the same as a broken bone and you can't use the same potions."

Harry slid away from him slightly as it seemed the room around them heated some and his eyes turned hard with anger.

"You were cut and bruised and beaten on pretty much every possible inch of your body and she said if we had been just a few more days we may have been too late to save you."

Draco watched as what looked like tiny forks of lightning chased each other across those now darkening hunter green eyes and for a moment he wondered if he should call Severus back.

"Once we knew you were stable and just needed to rest and heal, Severus, Hermione, Ron, and I went back to Azkaban with a team of Aurors to investigate the conditions of the prison and the other prisoners and to confront that thestral shit healer that refused to treat you because of the dark mark. Things went a little off plan from there. The healer had no desire to cooperate or even be held accountable for neglecting his patients. When the Aurors tried to apprehend him to take him in, he and his assistants actually pulled their wands and attacked us all."

Running his hand through his hair, Harry took several calculated breaths before continuing.

"Being us or stupid, dunderheaded Gryffindor idiots as Severus called us later on, Hermione, Ron and I took the lead in the fighting. To be honest, it wasn't a conscious thought, sort of a reflex after the past year. Ron took a few clean hexing that Madam Pomfrey healed up easily. I caught a few slicing hexes to the back, one that was particularly deep and is going to leave a scar I'm told and a fist to the face. Hermione though…she took a stray hex of unknown origin across her stomach when she leaped into Severus to push him out of the way of said spell."

Draco could feel a few beads of sweat form on his forehead as the air around them shimmered with heat. Not knowing what was happening but hoping he could help, he reached forward and cupped Harry's face in his hand. The other wizard closed his eyes and leaned into his touch, the heat slowly fading as he took calming air in to his lungs.

"My…anger got the better of me at that point. Her cry of pain just dredged up every single memory of someone I loved or cared about being hurt or dying with that same sound leaving their lips and I…lost it. It being the hold on my magic. Before I really knew it, I had the healer by the throat which is how I got the split lip. He punched me to try to get me to let go. I apparated, ripping through the anti-apparation wards of the prison and was suddenly floating…flying…I don't know."

"We were over the rocks on the far side of the island. The water was crashing against the rocks, roaring so loudly like it understood my anger and my hate right then. I…"

Draco winced as a spark of magic flashed along his palm where he was touching Harry. The heat starting to come back again and realizing it truly was directly proportionate to Harry's mood he leaned forward and gently placed his lips against Harry's once more. He could almost taste the sorrow and anger radiating off of his lover and so many emotions flooded him…except the one he would have expected. He didn't feel any fear at all. He was not in any way afraid that Harry would hurt him and there was a sense of freedom in not being afraid for his life even in the face of such rolling power.

"It's okay Harry. No matter what happened, I am not going anywhere. I trust you with my life and that isn't ever going to change."

Those green eyes opened, shimmering with unshed tears and his heart ached to see such sorrow in someone who should be allowed to just be happy now that the Dark Lord was no more.

"I'm tainted now! Why would you want to stay with me when my own soul is no longer whole like yours?"

Pulling the other wizard towards him, he placed their brows together still keeping his eyes locked with Harry's.

"No matter how many pieces there are of you Harry…they all belong to me. No matter the past, if there is a future to be had, I will gladly walk into it with you by my side."

He watched the tears fall as Harry closed his eyes. His breathing stuttered across Draco's face as he tried to find the words to say what he had done, though Draco was pretty sure he already knew.

"Severus said I will always have a bit more darkness in me now that the horcrux has been destroyed. That noseless bastard left behind some of his rage that had mingled with my own and I am still learning how to control the new level of power that rage seems to give me. It's how I ended up outside like I did with the healer in hand."

Silenced reigned for a moment as Harry gathered his thoughts and Draco waited patiently, knowing someone as good natured as Harry would have trouble confessing what he did.

"He begged. There at the end when he knew there was no hope of defeating me, he pleaded for his life. All I could see was you huddled in that corner, broken and bleeding. Your eyes so hollow…like you had given up all hope of surviving anymore."

"In that moment I understood why someone could be pushed to the very edge of madness and instead of pulling back as I have always done…I let the darkness swallow me whole and I dropped him. I can still hear his terrified screams as he fell, though the rage of the ocean drowned out any sound he might have made on impact."

Those brilliant eyes opened again as he leaned away, the forest hues speckled with yellows and browns that held Draco captivated. The anger and sorrow were gone to be replaced by a resolve Draco was used to seeing.

"My sorrow was not for him or for what I did. I was afraid it was going to cost me what I had with you. I still don't feel one shred of guilt over his death or being the one to bring it about. I'm only sorry I couldn't make it last the way your pain did and that is what scared me."

Cradling his face in both hands, Draco pulled Harry down until their lips were barely brushing.

"I am yours."

The kiss was anything but sweet as they tumbled backwards in a tangle of limbs and tongues. Draco pulled Harry with him on a journey of desire and need, pushing away all worries of what his actions would bring in the future. They were here together now…the rest he knew would sort itself…out one way or another.


End file.
